WE HAVE DUCT TAPE!

It took a few days, but yes, the crazy caught up with me. I can only hide for so long. The day started with the usual smell emanating from the boys room upon wakeup - poo. And that's saying it nicely. The stench is always awful, but today I was faced with a new challenge. No, none on the floor or on the new set of toys. It was in the diaper, but I couldn't SEE it because the diaper was DUCT-TAPED to the child. Obviously, my husband took the suggestion to heart - thankfully. All too often lately, I've been just seconds from catching the diaper before it hit the floor. If I had only ignored the 3 year-old in order to check on the the 21 month-old, I could have avoided some newly-shat-upon toys. But not today, Zurg. We have Duct Tape.

The boys subjected me to the normal ration of crazy, and here we are at the end of the day. Isabelle and JT are at church, the children are fed, and I'm sitting on the toilet in the bathroom while the 3 youngest take a bath. No, I'm not producing anything into said toilet. I'm sitting on the lid. I honestly can't say the word "bath" around here until I'm ready to put the kids in it because they love it so. Really.

Then, of course, the jacuzzi tub is only so big and as Jillian tries her best to do the backstroke, I hear, "You're standing on my hair!!" Then sit up princess. Currently, she's again on her back doing her best water-spitting cherub routine. She does realize she's in the bath with 2 toddler boys, right? I'm tired of bringing up the whole "pee" thing. It won't really sink in with her until Ripley stands up and pees on her back (which he does on occasion). So, I let it go. Now when the Baby Ruths start floating, the tub will clear like lightning just hit. And I wait.

Seeing my youngest 3 in the tub reminds me of pictures of my brothers and me when we were kids. I don't recall any stories specifically, but I wonder if we tortured my mom as much as my children torture me. I don't remember any dunkings, but then tubs weren't as "spacious" as they are now. I just have to look over every once in a while and make sure all 3 kids are nose above water. Sometimes, that's all Jillian wants.

"No splashing please," I say quietly after taking a huge water droplet to the eye. How they got it all the way over here (all by itself) I don't know. My children are wonders of nature. Truly.

Uh oh. What's that sound? Ripley just made yellow water. Now let's see how many times they put it in their mouths before they remember. Jillian is wise tonight, so she's squatting like a little gargoyle on the side of the tub because she doesn't want to stay in the "pee pee water" anymore. Ronan is sitting there singing to himself, oblivious to the dilemma. And Ripley? Well, he likes the way pee pee water tastes.

Alright, tub time's over. Time to get the trolls off to bed. Aaah.